Crossrail Delayed Again Until 2021 Bosses Admit Software Not Yet Designed

26 April 2019, 08:58 | Updated: 26 April 2019, 10:04

Crossrail bosses have pledged that the first part of the delayed £17.6bn project will be opened by March 2021 at the latest.

Crossrail, which will be known as the Elizabeth line when it opens, was due to launch in London in December but has been delayed after a series of problems.

Five months after the project was due to open it has been revealed that software needed to run the trains and network has not yet been built and that key equipment is not yet in place.

A statement said the Crossrail leadership team has established a "realistic and deliverable schedule" for the opening of the project, which TfL and the Department for Transport will now review, according to the Mayor of London's office.

It is expected that all stations on the route will open except for Bond Street which is delayed because of design and delivery challenges.

Once the central section opens, full services across the Elizabeth line from Reading and Heathrow in the west to Abbey Wood and Shenfield in the east will commence as soon as possible.

London's Mayor Sadiq Khan said he was "deeply angry and frustrated when we found out about the delay to Crossrail last year."

Crossrail's Chief Executive Mark Wild said he shared the frustration of Londoners, but the "new plan will get us there and allow this fantastic new railway to open around the end of next year.”